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Benedict Wong's Remarkable Comeback: From Overlooked to Marvel Star
17 Nov
Summary
- Overcame a "left on the shelf" moment to break through with Dirty Pretty Things
- Became a Marvel mainstay as the sorcerer Wong in Doctor Strange
- Now focused on championing the next generation of rising stars
In November 2025, Benedict Wong, the 54-year-old actor from Salford, is riding high on the success of his latest film, Weapons, which has grossed over $267 million worldwide and holds a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Wong's journey to stardom was far from easy.
After a decade in the business, Wong began to feel overlooked, describing it as a "left on the shelf" moment where he considered quitting acting. But his pivotal fight-back moment came with his breakthrough performance in the 2002 thriller Dirty Pretty Things, which earned him a British Independent Film Award nomination and marked a major turning point in his career.
Since then, Wong has built an impressively varied filmography, from playing Mongol ruler Kublai Khan in Netflix's Marco Polo to becoming a Marvel mainstay as the sorcerer Wong in Doctor Strange alongside Benedict Cumberbatch. Now, with his latest film continuing to draw audiences, Wong is turning his focus to the next generation of screen talent, serving as a member of the jury selecting the EE Rising Star Award nominees ahead of the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards.
